prompt: beckett/castle. beckett walks in on castle masturbating and he doesn't notice she's there until after he's come (no relationship established).

set after the events of 2x18, Boom.


She's been living in his home for a week and it's not so bad.

For all the chaos she's seen, the Castle household is actually fairly normal at times. Castle cooks, they eat together as a family when Martha's not running out and Alexis doesn't have a meeting or study group, and - this she could get used to - he has a really nice laundry room, complete with steam press.

And Castle himself is the perfect host. He doesn't push. He's polite, but he seems to know she needs her space. She appreciates it.

One morning she wakes up a bit earlier than usual. She's about to take a shower when she remembers - laundry. Her towels are all in the laundry. But he'd mentioned, when she first started staying here (she is not using the words "moved in"), that he kept extra towels in his bathroom.

It's early yet, and she's reasonably sure he's a sound sleeper, so she creeps downstairs and pads silently across the floor, through his office. When she taps gently at his bedroom door, there's no answer.

She taps one more time, just a bit louder, and this time she hears it, though faintly - "Kate?"

Oh. So he's - awake?

She twists the handle and slips inside his bedroom. She hasn't been in here. It's spacious, warm, rich. Faint light streams in through the curtains, illuminating the huge bed, and that's when she sees that it's empty.

The covers are thrown back, one pillow askew, so she can see he was just here. But - she heard -

"Kate - "

His voice is coming from nearby, and without thinking, she follows it, across the polished floor. It's his bathroom, and the door's half-open, light spilling from it. Is he -

She takes another step, peers inside, and she can see -

Oh shit.

Shit.

Castle's standing inside the bathroom, and the door's blocking her vision part of the way, but she can clearly see that his dick is in his hand and he's jerking himself off.

He groans deep and ragged and her whole body goes hot. She can't move, can't look away, can only watch as he gives himself one last stroke and he comes hard, a shuddery breath escaping him.

Kate's face is burning, her skin hot, and she needs to leave but she just -

"Kate?"

She looks up to find him staring at her through the door. Oh god, no, shit -

She slips out of his bedroom, bolting back up the stairs to her room, her heart pounding. She heard him say Kate. And he was -

She covers her face with her hands. She's not stupid. She knows exactly what he was just doing.

There's a knock at her door. "Beckett? Can I come in?"

She bites back a groan. It's not like they can avoid this. "Yes."

Castle steps inside, shutting the door behind him. His ears are red. He's not quite meeting her eyes. She can sympathize. "I, uh. I'm sorry - "

"Cas- I – I'm sorry, I didn't – I didn't – " There is absolutely no way to say I'm sorry I walked in on you fantasizing about me. "I was just looking for towels. I didn't know you were - " (erect) "- there," she finishes lamely.

"Oh." He seems - relieved at that, oddly, as if he's glad there's a logical explanation. "Well, I - I'm sorry. Can we get through this?"

"Of course." She just wants to forget it happened.

It never happened.


Lanie stares. "He was what?"

"Shhhhhhhh." Kate runs a hand through her hair self-consciously. "Would you let it go?"

"Absolutely not," Lanie huffs, folding her arms. They're in her office, ostensibly discussing autopsy results, but the results aren't ready yet, so it's this instead. "I mean, you two have shacked up so it makes sense - "

"Lanie!" Kate hisses, her face flushing hotly.

Lanie just grins. "Just tell me one thing. And I'll shut up, I swear."

Kate sighs. "Fine. What?"

"How big are we talking?"

Her face is burning. She doesn't say a word.

He's big.